


Maybe Something Better

by NinjaGirlStar5



Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: (lasts only for three paragraphs but I figured I'd give a heads up anyways), 3rd Limited POV, Canon Events Retelling, Canon-Typical Violence, Casual dismissiveness of human lives, Character Study, Gen, Government Supported Private Investigator Ending | GSPI (Henry Stickmin), Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Kinda?, No Beta, Somewhat detailed descriptions of injuries, Swearing, There may be a bit of angst, This is just me combing through Henry's thought process throughout this route, Timeline Aware Henry Stickmin, Trying my best to write ASL in fiction, character introspection?, extra scenes, henry's pov, implied panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjaGirlStar5/pseuds/NinjaGirlStar5
Summary: Out of everything that has happened to Henry, getting captured and then blackmailed by the government to take down a criminal organization was something else. Not to mention that the pilot is really...nice? To him?Regardless, it seems as though he has to work together with Charles on this mission. One he’s been forced to do and he kinda doesn’t want to work with him.
Relationships: Charles Calvin & Henry Stickmin
Comments: 18
Kudos: 207





	Maybe Something Better

**Author's Note:**

> *Slides into the Henry Stickmin Series fandom unannounced* Hello. I don't know how this fic got as long as it did, but it did. Enjoy.

Henry probably should’ve realized that his recent heists have started to paint a target on his back.

He _has_ been committing crimes for who knows how long - probably longer than he remembers actually. Although his recent crimes were starting to blur a little too close together. Like when he tried to rob that bank in the middle of the desert (which is actually just a vault) and then breaking out of prison after a month. He tried to stay low after that, wait until the fuzz was no longer interested in a petty thief like him. But after two weeks of trying to find a job to pay his way overdue bills, he saw that Tunisian Diamond on the news and - look, he couldn’t help himself okay? It was big, beautiful, shiny as hell and would sell for _millions_ if he played his cards right.

Stealing it wasn’t that hard as he thought it would after many... _many_ failed attempts. His body still remembers the injuries and bruises he went through to get it. But it was _oh so worth it_ having the diamond stashed in his closet and, with the advice from an old contact, he was able to sell bits and pieces of it for a reasonable but high price online. Henry knew that if he kept going on like this, he won’t have to worry about rent any longer. Hell, he might even get to _own_ his house if he manages to sell off the rest of the diamond by then. No more jackass landlord that breathes down his neck every time he doesn’t have the money to pay off his stupid rent. The only upside with this particular landlord was that he never questioned where Henry got his money from or what he does. The only other thing that was worse than a shitty landlord was one that looks too deeply into where your money comes from. Bad for his activities of, uh, _“borrowing”_ shiny stuff that no one needs.

But of course, thanks to his usual Stickmin luck, life had to throw another curve ball at him. Honestly, he’s handled a lot of crazy events over the years and at that point he thought nothing can surprise him.

Boy, did he get proven wrong when he went out to grab groceries for his sorry-of-an-excuse home. Just when he dropped his guard down, he got dragged into an alleyway by a pair of hands and suddenly found himself in a choke-hold. Despite his struggles, Henry found his consciousness slipping away and blacked out.

* * *

“Well, well...look who finally decided to wake up.”

  
Henry jolts when he feels his surroundings shake a little, wincing as he pulls his face off of... _something._ That something turned out to be a large crate that he was apparently sleeping against while sitting up. But the moment he didn’t recognize where he was and remembered what had happened prior to falling asleep - no, _getting knocked out_ \- he tensed. Not only that, he’s apparently dealing with the Government themselves if the green uniforms are anything to go by.

Which meant that the Government had kidnapped him for whatever they had planned. Henry almost wanted to laugh at that, at the system that prided itself to be above criminals and yet goes out of their way to take a man off the streets without his consent.

As the elderly man before him starts to rattle off about Henry’s criminal history and why they kidnapped him in the first place, he looks around the room. Unfortunately for him, one glance out the window and recognizing the sound of helicopter blades was enough to inform him that he’s in the air and the likelihood of him escaping unscathed was next to none. So he did the next best thing he could do in a situation like this and started to passively glare at the military officials before him. The man next to his superior only glared back at him and he can’t help but feel like he’s seen him from somewhere.

(His memory blurs a little, remembering a pair of guards outside his prison cell and a voice being heard over the sounds of police sirens but he couldn’t land a name or even a face on them.)

When the General (he’s assuming he’s a General anyway) started explaining the job and mentioned the Toppat Clan, Henry felt his throat go dry. He knew who they were. Every criminal worth their record would know to avoid them unless they planned to join. But he didn’t dare show any sign of discomfort at the mention of the Toppats. Not when the Government could easily just toss him behind bars. Or worse, kill him on the spot. They have no qualms kidnapping him so what’s stopping them from killing him if he didn’t comply or do his job correctly?

...Henry never considered himself kidnapping material but he guessed he should have been flattered that someone thought he was skilled enough to force him to do this job.

Actually, no. Henry is pretty fucking pissed that he somehow allowed this to happen. The one time he put his guard down and he’s suddenly here, in the air, being blackmailed by a system that looks down on people like him and forced to do a job he doesn’t _want_ to do. He’d punch them in the face if it wouldn’t land him behind bars again.

No, he had to play the Government’s little game. At least until he can get himself pardoned and go back to his life.

His life of endless unpaid bills and heists just to keep a roof over his head. (And money. Lots of money. You can never have too much money.)

“Charlie here will be bringing you close to the airship.” The General spoke, gesturing towards the cockpit of the helicopter as Henry came back to reality. He turns his gaze towards the cockpit, trying to catch a glimpse of the pilot named “Charlie.” Unfortunately, thanks to the wall separating them and from where he was sitting, all he could catch was the sleeve of a dull red bomber jacket as the pilot gave them a thumbs up in the doorway. The door to the outside was then opened, gusts of wind blowing through the entrance of the helicopter. Henry got up from his seat, walking over to the entrance. He can see a very large bright red airship that was a couple of miles away. “Find a way to bring ‘em down,” Henry slightly turned towards the General as he stood nearby. “...and you’ll be a free man.”

Yeah, right. They better keep to their word. Otherwise he’s going to fist fight the Government themselves.

The General hands him a pair of binoculars and then leaves him alone. He hears a voice from the helicopter’s cockpit, most likely the pilot’s. “Hey, uh, how do you want me to bring you in?”

  
How indeed…

  
He puts the binoculars up to his eyes, trying to find any sort of entrance that he could use. There was the back of the airship, where they most likely kept their valuables or vehicles. There’s a chance that there was some evidence there and the sticky hand sticking out of the crate would make it easy.

(He suddenly felt the searing pain of bullets littering his back and bit his bottom lip. Maybe going through the back was a bad idea.)

There was also a walkway with a side entrance, probably one of the ways to dock down when they land. At least, he thinks so. He doesn’t understand enough about how airships work to know for certain but it didn’t matter to him as long as he could get inside. The grapple hook hanging next to him would allow him to get close. He can see a hatch on top, but barely...

... _Or_ he could try to crash in through the front window with the very large plastic hamster ball he noticed out of the corner of his eye. It’d probably be the fastest approach, just grabbing the leader and taking him to the Government.

  
But he would probably be confronted with a lot of obstacles. And by obstacles, he means a lot of Toppats that are most likely armed. Not like the job is going to be _easy_ in the first place but face-to-face confrontation was...difficult. Especially since he’s not really good at it. He’s in shape, as much as he can be anyways, but if you were to tell him to fight someone with his fists on his own, he’s probably going to die. Plain and simple. Without his tools (and maybe a bit of foul play), a fight can easily go downhill in mere seconds.

With that logic in mind, his other options were either through the hatch or using the grapple hook. Henry could probably reach the entrance with the grapple hook on his own from here and if he could figure out how to open the door, then...well, he could figure out the rest as he goes along. It’s not like he never planned out his heists before. It’s just that sometimes his plans work better when they’re made on the fly. Besides, all he needs is some evidence. The Government would probably take anything as long as they’re able to connect it back to the Toppat Clan.

But the hatch...hmm…

Deciding that he needs a closer look, Henry pulls away from the entrance and walks over to the cockpit. If the pilot can bring them a bit closer, he can check it out and decide the pros and cons of using that entrance. He can feel the General drilling holes into his back but he ignored him and crossed the entrance. There was a chair next to the pilot, most likely for a co-pilot but it was vacant. Henry remained near the entrance though.

The pilot looked younger than him with messy ginger blonde hair and fair skin dotted with tons of freckles - he can see some on his hands now that he has a closer look. He wore a red and dark grey headset, a dark red shirt underneath his jacket, red boots, and light amber pants. Noticing that someone was standing in the entrance way from the reflection of the window, the pilot turns his head towards Henry with his side bangs framing his round, mildly surprised face. What caught Henry off guard though was the dark crimson eyes that almost reminded him of blood. He didn’t think it was possible for people to have eyes like that.

“Yeah?” The pilot asked, raising an eyebrow when Henry continued to stand there for a minute. His mouth forms into a thin line as he moves his hands.

‘I think I see a hatch on top of the airship. Can you bring us closer?’ Henry signed and waited for the pilot to respond. After a minute had passed, he was certain that he would have to use his voice to communicate even though he _really_ didn’t want to. But the pilot’s eyes lit up as if he had come to a conclusion and carefully raised one of his hands.

  
‘Yeah. Actually, I can just check the airship with the scanner.’ The pilot had signed back at him slowly, as if to make sure not to mess up before turning towards a screen. Henry blinked his eyes in surprise. Not many people knew american sign language and Henry often had to resort to using his voice whenever they couldn’t understand him. Not to mention it took years of practice to even be fluent in it and while Henry considers himself fluent, he was mostly self-taught. And he doubted that the military required their soldiers to learn it, as far as he knew anyways. Makes him somewhat curious as to why “Charlie” here would know sign language…

  
“So....Yeah, there’s a hatch on top. The good news is you don’t have to - oh wait…” Charlie trails off, turning his head to shoot Henry an apologetic look. Just when he puts up a hand, Henry stops him by raising his own, already seeing where his train of thought is going.

‘I’m not deaf. I just don’t like using my voice.’ Henry signed, watching as the gears turned in Charlie’s head. He simply stared at him with his crimson eyes before nodding his head.

“Ah...Okay. Er, sorry for, uh, assuming.” Charlie awkwardly clears his throat before going back to the scanner. “Anyways, the hatch you mentioned can be opened from the outside and it doesn’t lock. You’ll still have to force your way in since it’s, you know, a hatch. That kinda stuff has to be sturdy.” Henry glances at the screen, attempting to make heads or tails of it before giving up after a few seconds. He’ll just have to trust that Charlie here knows what he’s doing. “So...are you going through the hatch?” Henry hums to himself as the pilot stares at him, waiting for his response.

Since he didn’t really know how to open the door on the dock, going through the hatch is probably easier. Sure, he’ll have to brute force it open but better to blow it up than to randomly guess a password every five seconds. Not to mention that there might be more people beside the door than the hatch. So Henry nods at Charlie and the pilot gives him a smile and a thumbs up before moving the helicopter up.

“We’ll have to go to a higher altitude to avoid getting spotted but I’ll bring you in as close as we can.” Charlie explained, almost casual with the way he controls the helicopter with ease. He seems to have a lot of experience under his belt. “So...the name’s Charles. Charles Calvin.” Ah, so “Charlie” is a nickname then. Seems...overly friendly from the General. A few minutes passed by as Charles turned his head at Henry every now and then, cluing him in that he wanted to keep talking. When he pauses to stare at him, Henry reluctantly introduces himself.

‘Henry.’ He signed and the pilot smiled at him before glancing at his screen, probably to check where they were.

“Well, nice to meet you, Henry! Thanks for taking this job for us.” Henry scoffs at that though, leaning against the doorway. The pilot turns his head and he takes this opportunity to respond.

‘ _Forced_. I’m _f_ _orced_ to do this.’ Henry signed, quick and irritable. Charles breaths in through his teeth, giving him another apologetic look. Guess even he knew what went down that landed him here in the first place.

“I...Well, look…” Charles glances at the screen before tilting his head back and leaning against his chair to look at Henry upside down. “I know this isn’t the greatest first impression-” Henry raised an eyebrow at him and Charles simply gave him an awkward smile in response. “-but you’re doing us a _huge_ favor by grabbing some evidence. You’ll be helping us put these Toppats behind bars! Not to mention that the Captain means well and, uh, I can promise you that he’ll keep to his word.”  
  


Captain? He thought the old man would be of higher rank.

  
Regardless, he _better_ keep to his word. It’s bad enough that he has to sneak into the Toppat Clan’s airship to grab something of value for the Government. It’d be even worse if he just gets dropped behind bars again despite doing what they asked.

“Anyways, we’re here.” Charles said, pulling his gaze away from Henry to stare at his screen. Henry stops leaning against the doorway, trying to take a glimpse of the airship from here. That was a lot faster than he thought. “You should be able to jump down from here - oh!” He cuts himself off, suddenly opening a small drawer beside him. He then pulls out an earpiece and holds it up to Henry. “We’ll be able to communicate through this and I can guide you with the scanner here.”

Henry just stared at the earpiece.

Did...Did he _really_ have to work with Charles?

Don’t get him wrong. Charles seems to be...oddly nice to someone like him. But there was a reason why Henry worked alone. He _tried_ to work with others when he was young and just started his life of thievery but it almost never worked out. Whether it was because they couldn’t decide on a plan together, screwed up horribly that they couldn’t leave with their spoils or, on rare occasions, ratted him out in an effort to get the valuables on their own, partners in crimes were always a recipe for disaster.

It’s just easier for him to go solo. (Not to mention all the money he could keep to himself without having to split it up.)

Charles hesitates before pulling his hand away slightly. “Er, if you don’t want the earpiece, we could use something else.” Henry blinks his eyes as the pilot before him shifts in his seat nervously. “Like, you said that you hate speaking, right? I’m sure there’s something else you could use instead-”

  
Henry takes the earpiece from Charles before he could change his mind.

‘It’s fine.’ Henry signed with one hand, the earpiece hovering over his ear but not exactly putting it in place just yet. ‘I…’ He pauses when Charles stares at him, surprised but calm. Patient. ‘I appreciate the thought.’ With that, he ends the conversation, putting the earpiece into his ear. He leaves the pilot alone, heading towards the entrance of the helicopter.

“Good luck down there!”

Henry didn’t respond.

Glancing out the entrance, he can see the hatch from here. Checking to see that he has his backpack on - which he does - he readies himself to jump.

“Be sure to get concrete evidence in there.” The Captain suddenly spoke up, Henry turning his gaze back at the government official. He looked a little tired and wary. “We’re really putting a lot of hope in this operation.”

  
Henry just flipped him off before jumping down onto the airship.

(He couldn’t tell if the Captain looked pissed off or amused. The soldier, on the other hand, looked like he was going to blow a gasket.)

Landing on the airship was easy and it went far smoother than he thought it would. If there was one thing Henry had to complain about though is the wind constantly blowing into his face, his hair practically flying everywhere. Out of all the times he could’ve been kidnapped, it had to be before he could cut his hair. Silently swearing to himself, Henry pulled out a hair tie from his pocket and started to tie up his hair into a small ponytail. He was glad that he had the foresight to cut his bangs before this whole debacle started.

Henry had just finished tying up his hair when he heard static coming through the earpiece. Pressing his finger against the earpiece, he listens to what the pilot has to say. “Check, check. This is Charles. Just thought, uh, I’d give you a heads up. Uhh, there’s a guy down there. A bad guy.” Henry rolled his eyes at the wording. “So, uh, yeah. Good luck.” Despite only wishing him luck mere moments ago, Charles seemed to have felt the need to repeat himself here.

Henry couldn’t tell if it was sweet of him or just a common, hollow courtesy he extends to everyone he meets.

It didn’t matter right now, though. Right now, he needed to open the hatch.

Carefully taking off his backpack and gripping it’s handles tightly, he unzips it and smiles when the dark void of it’s hammer-space greets him. Out of everything he has ever stolen in his life, this backpack was by far the most valuable item he's ever come across. Not even a gigantic diamond would let him trade this for anything and that’s saying something. He had come across it by chance during a heist and as luck would have it, the backpack’s ability to give him anything it had in store had managed to pull him out of a tight spot. Now he never leaves home without it, if he could help it.

Of course, that didn’t come with it’s own downsides. For starters, every single item Henry pulls out of it is entirely random. No amount of wishing for a specific item would let him pull it out right when he needs it and sometimes, thanks to his usual Stickmin luck, the item he pulls ends up doing more harm than good. He learned this the hard way when he had stuffed a valuable painting into the backpack and when he got home, he could only pull out random junk until he had given up in frustration and promptly forgot about it. And then a year later, in the middle of another heist, he accidentally pulls the exact same painting out while trying to find something that would help him steal an ancient (but _very shiny_ ) necklace. Needless to say, it made the heist so much harder.

At least it worked out when he managed to escape with both of his stolen targets _and_ he got to sell the painting without much fuss due to it’s faded fame. (He had to enlist his old contact for help, but it still went smoother than usual.) But yeah, lesson learned: don’t put your stolen valuables into the indefinite hammer-space backpack unless you want it to be gone for a good long while, possibly forever. Henry was pretty sure that it was only by some goddamn miracle that he managed to come across the painting again.

Henry glances back at the hatch before digging his hand through the backpack, careful not to accidentally slip through as he pulls out objects one by one:

  
A C4 so he could blow up the hatch, hopefully taking the guy down with it. (Henry felt metal colliding with the back of his head, even though there was no reason for there to be debris flying about. He cracks his neck, feeling as though it had snapped in half mere seconds ago.)

A bottle of acid that could melt away the hatch without much trouble. (Henry suddenly felt pain in his legs, feeling as though they had disintegrated. When he looked down though, his legs were completely fine. He tried to suppress his shudder.)

He glances at the hatch as he felt around his backpack some more. Maybe he could just knock and try to convince the guy to let him in. (Actually, no. He doesn’t have a good enough excuse to even be on top of the airship in the first place. Maybe if he got some girl scout cookies? Wait, even if he did pull some out, would they even be good by now?)

When his hand feels a tube though, he tugs on it...only to find that it’s a lot heavier than expected. Setting his foot on top of the straps to prevent the backpack from falling off the airship due to the turbulence, Henry leans into the backpack and starts pulling out the object. With a grunt, he realizes it’s a vacuum and sets it down on top of the airship.

He can already feel the gears turning in his head as he puts the backpack on and rolls the vacuum closer to the hatch. He preps up the vacuum and takes off the remote control before taking a step back. Henry presses the green button, watching as the vacuum clamps over the hatch and hears the snapping of metal. Whatever remained of the hatch seemed to have been sucked into the vacuum and he could hear a person yelling obscenities as he got sucked in as well. Something moved inside the bag, most likely the “bad guy” Charles had mentioned a few moments ago.

With that obstacle out of the way, Henry pressed the red button and the vacuum unlatched from the airship. He didn’t wait any longer and jumped down into the airship, leaving the Toppat to find a way out on his own. (Or not. Doesn’t matter to him.)

Just when Henry took a step away from the ladder, he heard another crackle of static. Taking in a deep breath, he answers the earpiece. “Hey, good job there!” It was Charles cheerfully complimenting him. He could barely prevent the smile threatening to break out on his face and stamped down the warmth he felt in his chest. It was just one compliment, nothing else. Pull yourself together, Henry. “I know the Captain was kinda getting on your case earlier about the evidence, but you should make sure it’s something incriminating. Something we can use to prove that they’re criminals, you know?” Charles trails off, muttering something about the operation.

Henry didn’t wait for the pilot to talk any further when he heard voices from the other side of the room. Taking his hand off of the earpiece, he sneaks over to the entrance and takes a peek. It looked like a meeting was going on, something about weapons. They didn’t seem to have noticed their fellow member disappearing from this room.

_Good. Now how should I sneak past them…?_ Henry thought as he reached into his backpack:

A disguise? He could feel something like a top hat inside and he could probably come up with a decent excuse as to why he was in street clothing instead of a suit. (Congrats to Smith...Wait, who the hell is Smith?)

He felt some cold metal brush against his skin and pulled out the handheld machine. It appeared to be something called a “transdimensionalizer.” (He felt as though his entire body had gotten squashed and he’s not sure why or how. Honestly, he feels like he could sue the company that makes machines like this...or just tell off the guy that keeps making nonsensical reviews about them. GadgetGabe, was it?)

Putting the machine back inside, Henry then pulls out a bottle of glue. He presses his lips together in thought before nearly emptying the entire tube of glue onto his hands. It was a dumb idea and the glue is going to be a pain to clean off later but hey, what can you do? He wasn’t going to spend precious time finding a more conventional or convenient solution. Testing the glue to see if it’ll stick - which it did - Henry then started to climb the wall and across the ceiling.

The climb across was pretty uneventful - he was expecting to fall off halfway across the room. Nobody seemed to have noticed him while they had their little meeting and Henry swore he’s seen the guy with the light blue top hat and brown bushy mustache.

(Something like a courtroom crossed his mind, but he’s never been to court before...at least, he didn’t think he went to court.)

When he was close enough to the floor, Henry jumped down and exited through the entrance way without a trace. (If you ignore the remains of glue on the ceiling anyways.) Just when he starts to clean the rest of the glue off by wiping his hands on his pants, he hears a pair of elevator doors open and his eyes dart around for an escape.

The moment he saw the hole in the floor, he didn’t hesitate to dive down. He heard a voice from above but Henry was too preoccupied with how _fast_ he was going, hissing in pain when his shoulder collided with the wall. He barely had the time to cover his head when he suddenly felt himself go through the vent and landed on the floor with a harsh thud. Henry groaned to himself, turning over onto his stomach and lifted his head.

Yep, he’s definitely going to bruise all over.

He barely had time to grab his bearings when he heard static. “Oh, hey! Uh, you see that records sign? Where it says ‘records’?” Henry squints his eyes, barely able to read the yellow sign from this angle but like Charles had said, it says “records” in big, uppercase letters. “That’d probably be a good place to look, right? Let me just, uh, help you get across that gap.”

  
The wording of what Charles had just said bothered Henry, but it took him a little too long for his liking to muster up the courage to speak into his earpiece. (Maybe he should've asked Charles if he had any alternatives for communication. Texting would've been way more preferable than speaking altogether.)

“Charles.” Henry’s voice was hoarse and quiet but he tried to speak as loud and clearly as he could. “How did you know there was a gap here?” He furrowed his brow as he stared at the gap. There were no switches or buttons that would allow him to cross it on his own, much to his frustration. He’ll have to rely on Charles’ help.

Somehow.

“Wow, uh…” Charles trails off, as if he was surprised that Henry had actually decided to speak. Before Henry could come up with a snappy response, the pilot focused on the question at hand. “Oh! Uh...I have the blueprints of the airship on my scanner here. It can detect people on board as well. If that makes sense.” Charles explained without further detours. Henry frowned though.

“But how did you know where I was?” He asked, glancing out the window. Henry could barely see the helicopter from here. Can scanners like that tell him apart from an enemy, even from so far away?

“Uh...well, don’t freak out.” Charles starts off, Henry already tensing despite his words. “But the, um, earpiece you have? It has a built in tracker to it. So, like, the scanner picks up where you are on the blueprint, with a different color and everything. Helpful, right? Since I’ll be able to guide you from point A to point B.” Henry clicked his tongue in response, staring at the impossible gap.

More like a convenient way to make sure he doesn’t abandon the job unnoticed. Henry almost wanted to applaud Charles’ cleverness.

(Or maybe Charles just wanted to make sure he was okay during the mission. He couldn’t do that if he can’t tell who is who on the scanner.)

Henry blinked his eyes, wondering where that idea came from or why his chest felt warm again. Pressing his hand over his chest, he speaks into the earpiece.

“Okay...So, how would you help me cross the gap?” Henry decided to move onto the topic at hand. He needed an idea of how Charles could help him from where he was.

“Oh, there’s a couple of options, actually. I can just, uh, activate something through the earpiece to get you across or teleport something to you. What do you think?” Charles answered and Henry can’t help but wonder how smoothly everything was going. The pilot is able to cooperate and communicate very well with him so far and just...well, he’s _nice._ But just because Charles was nice didn’t mean he had ulterior motives. They may be working together now, but as soon as he gets his pardon, he’s out of there. They’ll hopefully never have to see each other after this again.

In the meantime, though…maybe letting Charles come up with a plan wouldn’t hurt.

“Do you have a plan, Charles?” There was a pause, almost as if Charles was taking in his words.

“You’re...asking me?” Charles sounded touched by that...and also a little bit excited. Before Henry could reply though, he can hear the pilot giggle to himself with joy. “Alriiight! Here I come~!”

  
Henry raised an eyebrow, confusion lingering on his face as Charles suddenly started singing a random fanfare song. He swore he can hear the Captain in the background swearing before glancing at the window as his ears registered the sounds of helicopter blades-

Wait, is that _Charles-?!_  
  


* * *

Note to self: _never let Charles come up with a plan._

Although, considering Henry’s own track record of terrible plans that has screwed himself over every now and then, he probably shouldn’t be one to judge. But on the other hand, the idea of crashing a helicopter into the side of an airship to get him to cross one gap was so dumb that he didn’t even register any sort of pain in his body. He just found himself standing on the platform again with Charles asking him what to do.

If only every other option had cut off like that. And unlike usual, he remembers these fails _very vividly._

Screw his initial thought of Charles being clever, the pilot was just plain _dumb._ He teleports a platform into the middle of his body and he falls straight into the gears, getting his bones grounded into dust. And then he crushes him with a goddamn gravity bubble!

  
(...Honestly, the platform incident could’ve been a complete accident with a bad targeting system. He’s not sure if he could say the same about the gravity bubble though.)

Taking a deep breath, he listens as Charles sends over a yellow box and it transforms into a robotic creature with handles to carry him over. Henry grabs a hold of the handles, tensing as the robot carries him across the gap. But his paranoia ends up unwarranted as it had only faltered once before he was able to drop onto the other side of the gap with ease. The robot then disappears, probably back at the helicopter or something.

  
Henry sees a guy from here, sneaking over before stopping to prevent himself from being spotted. From here he can hear the guy muttering about a card and the beeping of a rejection noise.

“I don’t think that guy knows how to open the door.” Charles had said with a chuckle behind the crackle of static. Henry couldn’t help but snort despite himself. “Yeah, why don’t you let me take care of this?”

Oh no.

Henry could already feel the dread in his bones, sensing the multiple ways of how this could go wrong.

(Watching Charles use some sort of mind control technology on the Toppat, only to break the key card, feeling bullets litter his body when the pilot used his gatling gun, Charles crushing him with a random door that he _just_ so happened to be standing on when he hacked into their security system, his bones shattering into pieces-)

Henry suddenly felt panic overwhelming him and had to sit himself down.

“...Henry? Henry, are you okay?” He could hear Charles’ concerned voice over the earpiece but Henry took it out of his ear, pressing his hand against his face. He took in deep, slow breaths, counting down from four in his head to ease the tension in his chest. He gulps, feeling himself shake and he rubs his thumb against his hand.

_It’s okay. It’s going to be okay, Henry. You’ve been through this shit before and you can pull yourself out of it again. Just like always, you’ll find a way to walk away and complete your objective. Just focus on something. Anything else. Oh look, that cloud looks like a cat. Cute..._

Slowly, a familiar numbness settles over his body and Henry lets out a sigh, pulling himself back to reality. This mission was getting a lot more harder and stressful than it had to be. He could already feel himself growing tired of it even though it barely hasn't been an hour yet. It honestly felt like a millennia. And Charles wasn't really helping, despite his... _efforts_.

Speaking of whom...

He stares at the earpiece in his hand before reluctantly putting it back into his ear. Pressing his finger onto the earpiece, he expected to hear Charles’ panicking voice for leaving him hanging when he started to feel overwhelmed.

Instead he was met with silence.

Henry frowned, sensing that something wasn’t right on Charles’ end. The pilot just didn’t seem like the kind of person to leave someone alone when they were distressed.

(Or maybe he was and Charles believed he was being nice, only to never show up when it counted.)

Feeling his heart sink, Henry gulped down his unease before speaking: “Charles…?” He waited for a second, then two, then three, before static finally greeted him.

“Sorry. I...I got into an argument. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Charles asked, panic lacing his voice but it was obvious that he was trying to remain calm. Despite the numbness in his body, Henry can feel the warmth in his chest returning at the pilot’s consideration for his well-being.

But it was quickly gone when he remembered the Toppat still struggling with his key card. It was almost funny how he couldn’t figure out how to open a door in a few minutes.

“I’m fine.” Henry said, managing to keep his voice leveled and quiet. “About the guy…” Charles was quiet for a moment, as if he was thinking on how to respond. Before he could tell the pilot to focus on the mission, Charles started talking.

  
“Well...I could control his mind, use the gatling gun to open the door, hack into their security system…” Henry bit his bottom lip, wondering if he could catch the guy off guard by rushing in. “Or...Oh! We could melt his bones. Kinda gross but uh, that could work.”

...Henry didn’t really want to know why the Government had bone melting technology. But it was the only other option that he hadn’t tried yet before he gave up to go solo.

  
“Yeah, sure. Melt him.” Henry said without a second thought, bracing himself for something to go wrong.

“Okie dokie.” Without a second to spare, Henry hears the sound of crackling and-

Oh. The guy melted. Nice.

Henry got up from the floor and walked over. The guy seemed to be still alive somehow, but it was obvious that he couldn’t move a muscle now. Borrowing the Toppat’s key card, he opens the door with ease and steps into the records room.

The records room was, unsurprisingly, filled with file cabinets and bookcases of the Toppat Clan’s plans, frauds, members, profiles, research...You name it and the Toppats’ probably got it somewhere stashed in the room. And it should come as no shock that the room was pretty much a treasure trove of evidence.

There was just one problem: there was a Toppat sitting at a table, looking over a file.

“Oh man, I remember this.” The Toppat said to himself out loud, most likely reminiscing about the file. “Good thing nobody knows about this or we’d be in a lot of trouble.”

  
...Huh. That’s...oddly convenient. At least he didn’t have to waste time turning this place up and down for incriminating evidence.

Now how should he go about this? Henry reached into his backpack and accidentally pricks his finger against something sharp. He managed to pull out a ninja star and then stared at the guy before him. He wasn’t that far, just a few feet in front of him. No way he could miss from here.

  
_Or_ he could obliterate the guy with an awesome Falcon Kick-

“Oh man!” The earpiece suddenly goes off and the Toppat perks up, realizing there was an intruder right behind him. As he turned his head with a glare, Charles continued to be completely oblivious to Henry’s predicament. “That duck just flew right into the propeller! Oh, what a mess!” And then static, leaving Henry to stand there with a strained smile.

Goddammit, Charles.

* * *

After missing a stupidly easy shot with the ninja star (he was three feet away! THREE!) and accidentally putting too much power into his kick to the point of incinerating himself, Henry pulls out a stick with a fake spider attached to it by a string. The idea came to him pretty easily. After all, who _isn’t_ afraid of spiders?

Apparently this guy as he greets the spider with the nonchalance of greeting a dog on the street. (How the fuck does someone _not_ scream at a spider?! They’re creepy as hell!)

Feeling his frustrations reach a boiling point, Henry pulls the stick back and _whacks_ it over the Toppat’s head. He didn’t have to do much else. The guy just fell out of his chair and went cold, just like that.

Taking in a deep breath, he skims the file to make sure it was worth taking before closing it. It was a damn good piece of evidence that involved the current Toppat Clan leader and his Right Hand Man along with some photos. It seemed to have gone awry at some point during the heist and they barely managed to escape in one piece. Unfortunately for them, they seemed to have left some evidence behind (excluding the file itself) and the Government would definitely have no problems linking this crime back to the Toppat Clan.

It almost felt good, really. Stealing something from a criminal organization and watching it go down in metaphorical flames. But he shouldn’t get ahead of himself.

Henry had to get off this damned airship first.

“Found something.” Henry said, cutting straight to the point and he heads over to the door across the room. He was eager to get out of here and go home to cool off, maybe even take a break from his usual activities. Screw his landlord if he gets on his case, Henry deserved to relax a little bit after everything that has happened so far.

  
“Alright! You got some- Whoa wait, wait!” Henry skids to a stop, feeling his anger rise again. He really wasn’t in the mood for more of this shit. “There’s no way you’re getting through there. Lotsa’ guys and lotsa’ guns, that’s all I’m gonna say.” Goddammit. He just wanted to go home and sleep. “Iiiit looks like you could get around if you go through that air duct.” Henry glances down at his feet, seeing a very large vent. Opening it up wasn’t difficult at all and it was big enough for him to drop down and stand up with ease.

The _problem_ was the electrical current that blocked his way.

It’s always fucking _something_ , isn’t it.

It was either getting himself killed or minor inconveniences that keep popping up. The guy beneath the hatch, getting past the weapons meeting, crossing that damned gap, _everything._ Why can’t he just have things go his way without a problem? Is that too much to ask?  
  


And the one person he’s stuck with was-

“Alright, I’ve hacked into their power grid. What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t need your help!” Henry snapped. There was static but no response, possibly because the sudden outburst has put Charles into shock.

Charles had been nothing but an obstacle every time he had gotten involved. He kept getting him killed or screwed him over one way or another. He was just as bad as his previous partners in the past and frankly, Henry just wanted to get this over with. He didn't need his help with the power grid. He can do it on his own.

Just like always. He’s been through worse. This is _fine_.

Henry waited. Waited for a hint of annoyance. An edge of smugness as Charles told him that he didn’t have a choice, that he had to listen to him to get out of this in one piece. Or even anger as he slapped him with the logic that there was no way he could get past an electrical grid on his own.

Instead, all he was met with was Charles’ meek voice.

“I’m sorry…” Charles sounded softer, even a bit... _hurt_ over the static of the earpiece. Henry can feel his frustrations simmering down like someone quickly turning off their stove. “I-I just thought, uh...you needed some help is all…” And then the earpiece went silent, leaving Henry alone with a stone of guilt on his heart.

Somehow this was worse.

Charles just...wanted to help? He was always so...focused on guiding him, talking to him casually and just making sure he’s okay. And he didn’t even get angry at him, he just...let him go like that.

Even though Henry snapped at him. Even though there was no way he could do this on his own. Even though Charles was trying his best to make sure Henry made it in one piece. Even though Charles had...welcomed him from the start?  
  


(But… _why?_ )

  
Henry took a deep breath, filing those emotions for later. If he makes it out in one piece at the end of this mission, he’ll talk to Charles. Even if this decision ends in a fail and the pilot won’t remember this particular part of the conversation, he still wanted answers.

(He didn't _need_ them but he found himself wanting them anyways.)

Clutching the files close to his chest and committing to his choice, Henry sprinted down the vent.

He predictably got himself fried.

* * *

Henry sat there, quietly thinking to himself as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. Anger wasn’t going to get him anywhere. If anything, it would only make him reckless. Not that he hasn’t done dumb shit before thanks to said recklessness, but that kind of decision making - or lack of foresight - wasn’t going to help him in this particular situation. Charles waited for his response, patient as ever.

(Turning off the power resulted in the entire airship falling out of the sky. He will admit that he didn’t think that one through.)

His mouth forms into a thin line before pressing a finger against his earpiece. While Henry has mostly calmed down from before and taking a quick break has helped him think a bit more rationally, he was still a little peeved from earlier.

So he decided to mess with Charles a little.

“Baaaaa.” He emitted a sheep noise and waited.

“...Okaaay...I don’t understand what that means.” Charles said with imminent confusion. Henry chuckles to himself, momentarily forgetting that his speaker was still on. He can hear the pilot huffing with playful displeasure. “Uh, yeah. Very funny, Henry. Ha ha.” Henry only laughed harder, not really expecting the tone of sarcasm from a friendly person like Charles.

“Sorry...just messing with you.” Henry said, trying to keep himself from smiling so hard. It was...kinda nice? But he should focus on the mission right now. “Can you reroute the power?”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll reroute the power to a random room. That’s fine.” Henry waits, hoping it will work out this time. Thankfully, it did and the electric currents disappeared from his eyes without the airship suddenly falling out of the sky. He sighs with relief, heading over to the ladder. Climbing out of the vent with ease, his mind wanders back to how far he’s come during the mission.

Despite the ridiculous (and painful) fails he’s experienced, working with Charles turns out to be...not so _bad?_ Perhaps it gets annoying - even frustrating - whenever he would screw up (not that Charles would remember), but when he did something right, it went oddly _smooth_. And that’s...that’s different. Different from the partners he’s had over the years before deciding to become a lone wolf altogether. Charles actually listens to him and if he listens back, the pilot can come up with some great suggestions on how to get through their current predicament. They can actually act on a plan together instead of arguing over what to do. And Charles…

No. No, he shouldn’t get attached.

Once this mission is over, they won’t see each other again.

(His chest hurt at the thought of it. He was actually enjoying himself and not in the usual rush of adrenaline he relished in during a reckless, everything-on-the-line heist.)

“Alright Henry, you’re almost there.” Charles’ voice brought him back to reality as he stared at the room. He must be in the back of the ship if the large storage crates and vehicles were anything to go by. Perhaps a garage of sorts? Actually, no, it’s probably just a cargo bay. “I’m right outside so just open the bay doors and I’ll, uh, get you on the chopper.” Henry nods to himself, hearing static as he pulls himself out of the vent. Just as he walks over to the control panel, he notices two guys near the doors.

_Maybe they won’t notice?_ Henry thought as he hit the up arrow button on the panel.

  
But of course, the guys turn when the alarm goes off and the doors go up. Damn, he was _so close_ to getting off of this ship undetected.

What should he do?

Maybe he should have Charles throw a grenade? (The pilot told him it’ll be a flash-bang and that he should cover his eyes. Which he did...while he continued to run. Not a good idea in hindsight as he had fallen straight to his death.)

Does the helicopter have sleeping gas by any chance? (It _did..._ but the sleeping gas didn’t reach the airship due to the wind. Damn you, physics.)

Maybe a bomb? (Charles forgot to mention that the bomb would look like a fucking _banana_ . And that the explosion was strong enough to take down the _entire airship in mere seconds.)_

Shit...none of his ideas are working. Give him something to work with, dammit…!

  
“Psst, hey!” Henry jumped a little at Charles’ voice but listened closely. “There’s a button on your earpiece. You should press it.” Curiously, he did what he was told and the earpiece popped out of his ear and transformed into what Henry could recognize as some sort of gun with two handles. He ended up dropping the file but he wasted no time testing out the gun in his hands to see what it would do.

Which was to blast the two Toppats right off the airship. Both of them screamed as they plummeted to their death.

Oh well.

Henry grabbed the file and ran over to the edge of the bay with a manic grin, clearly pleased with the gun in his hand. To think that they had something like _this._ If only he knew about it earlier...why didn’t Charles tell him sooner?

  
He didn’t ponder it for long, staring at the gap between him and the helicopter. Henry glanced at the file in his hand before stuffing it down his hoodie. Better to be safe than sorry.

And then he hears the sound of a door sliding open.

“What’s goin-?!”

Henry didn’t waste time to jump off the bay, turning around in midair as he pulled the trigger of what he will now dub as the force gun. The gun propels him towards the chopper, Charles managing to catch him with ease. He notices the man with the red mustache and top hat running up towards the edge but ultimately too late to stop him.

  
Just what he wanted.

What he _didn’t_ want though was him slamming against the wall of the helicopter, hissing as his back and head throbbed in pain. Henry can barely hear the door slamming shut and when he opens his eyes, his vision is blurry and his brain is hit with a wave of dizziness.

Okay, maybe there was a reason why Charles didn’t tell him about the force gun earlier. Using it indoors probably would’ve caused more harm than good.

“Henry! You okay back there?” A voice he has long since recognized as Charles was heard and all he could do was nod his head. He even gave a thumbs up even though the pilot probably can’t see him from here.

“He seems to be alright.” A voice spoke up, probably the Captain as the elderly man leaned over Henry as his vision went back to normal. “Do you have the evidence?” Henry’s senses have started to catch up to him enough that he rolled his eyes before pulling the file out of his hoodie. The Captain’s eyes lit up at the sight of them and took the files. “Thank you, Henry.”

  
Henry barely registered the Captain’s gratitude as he slowly stood up. His back still hurt and his head throbbed with pain but he still had enough cohesiveness to walk over to the cockpit. Seeing the vacant chair next to the pilot, Henry plops down onto it without a second thought while Charles stares at him with a growing grin.

“You did it, Henry!” Charles congratulates him cheerfully and Henry couldn’t help but give him a tired but genuine smile. He hasn’t been complimented like that in a long while so it’s okay to indulge himself a little bit. “Haha, you look a little sleepy. But don’t worry. As soon as we land, you can head straight home and sleep the day away.”

Yeah, that sounds amazing right about now...

  
“Indeed he will.” Henry turns his gaze towards the Captain, Charles doing the same even though he should probably be focused on flying. “This is some stellar piece of evidence, Henry. You certainly have a knack for this.” He rolled his eyes. It was pretty much similar to stealing, really and he found the file out of convenience. “You know…” The Captain said, stroking his beard in thought. “If you want, we could make you a private investigator.”

...What?

“ _What.”_ The soldier, who hasn’t spoken a word in Henry’s presence up till now, was staring at his superior with shocked distaste. “Are you going to have him work for us?!”

  
“Well, technically yes.” The Captain said with a shrug, seemingly nonplussed by his decision. “He’ll be government supported but he won’t be enlisted or anything. That being said, we’ll have to talk about the details of the official paperwork - including the pardon. Charlie, you have it on hand, yes?”

  
_What?_   
  


“Sir, with all due respect, you shouldn’t give him an important job like this!” The soldier was now pinching the bridge of his nose, clearly furious but trying to keep himself in line (and failing). Henry barely registered what was going on. “Not to mention he only did _one_ job. No matter how skillful he is, that doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy!”

  
“Officer Price.” The Captain’s voice takes a more stern edge in it. “This one job, this piece of evidence, will help us take down a criminal organization that has been plaguing us for _generations._ ” Despite being shorter than Officer Price, the Captain stood his ground, not at all budging. “If we’re lucky, the Toppat Clan will be put behind bars in less than a decade. Henry has more than made up for his misdeeds.”

  
Is the Captain...giving him a _job_?

“ _Misdeeds?_ ” Officer Price spat out, clearly enraged as he started to point at Henry. “He tried to rob a bank. He broke out of prison and got my co-worker _fired._ He stole the Tunisian Diamond and got someone killed! He shouldn’t be let off with...with…!”

  
“ _Rupert_.” It was Charles who cut him off. The Officer goes silent and it was only then that Henry finally recognized him. He didn’t expect to meet the exact same prison guard that had made fun of him while he was locked away for an entire month. “I know you have your own reasons to...well, uh, _hate_ Henry. But like I said before…” Charles turns his head towards Rupert, attempting to give him a disarming smile. “We should give him a chance to _change_. This is a good starting point!”

Rupert stared at him, gripping his rifle to the point that he started to shake a little. Henry was too busy catching up to the conversation that he barely even registered the potential threat. (A job?? He’s getting a _job?_ )

But Rupert took a deep breath before tossing his hands up in the air.

  
“ _Fine._ Whatever...Just...don’t let him out of your sight.” Rupert’s voice goes quiet as he sits down on the bench, clearly wanting to be left alone to sulk. The Captain sighs, rubbing his forehead before turning back towards Henry and Charles. (A job _and_ a pardon! It was almost too much to take in!)

“I’m sorry about that, Henry. I hope that wasn’t too uncomfortable to sit through.” The Captain said, hovering over the entrance of the cockpit. Charles was starting to stare at him now and Henry realized that they were talking _to_ him. He tries to pull himself out of his shock to respond.

‘I - I - A job? You’re giving me a _job_?’ Henry signed. He had to confirm it himself. There was no way that the Captain was just...handing him a job onto his lap, just like that. And yet there was a ghost of a smile on the elderly man’s face.

“Yes. That is, if you want it of course.” The Captain shrugged again, clasping his hands together behind his back. At least he seems to understand american sign language. “If you don’t, you can just head back home and we will never talk about this again.” Henry stared at him in pure disbelief, still not exactly hit with the reality that there was a job offer right in front of him.

Henry gulps, needing to shove down his excitement. He couldn’t just jump to conclusions.

‘For real? No strings attached or anything?’ A pause. ‘...Do I get paid?’ It couldn’t hurt to ask since the last thing he wanted was a job with zero benefits. The Captain took his time to respond, his mouth twitching up to smile but ultimately goes back to his stoic front.

(The Captain is actually a lot more friendlier when he’s not holding blackmail over his head.)

“No strings attached and yes, you get paid. Of course, if we catch you going back to your old ways, we’ll be cutting ties with you on the spot. But a steady job and a clean record seem like a fair trade for going straight.” Keyword _catch_. Maybe he’ll get away with shoplifting something every now and then.

...Oh, he was actually _considering_ this job. Even though there was no guarantee that it’ll work out or if the paperwork would go through. If the Captain had his own superior - which he most likely does - he’d probably have to get their approval to grant Henry this job. Sure, he’s at least high-ranking enough to grant him a pardon but what about making him a private investigator that just so happened to be government supported?? What if he gets denied anyways and he’s left to return to his crappy house with his shitty landlord and a mountain of bills that he hasn’t paid off yet-

Okay, no. Breathe, Henry. You’re overthinking this. Don’t worry about it for now. Just...breathe.

‘I...I need some time. To think about this.’ Henry finally answered, taking in a slow, deep breath before letting it out. The Captain stared at him, seemingly lost in thought before nodding his head.

“Alright. I at least want an answer before you head back home.” The Captain said before turning away. Just when Henry thought the conversation was over, he turned his head to look at him over his shoulder. “You should get your head checked before you leave. It’d be bad if you had a concussion the whole time you got back.”

…That reminded him that he should get his throat looked at as well. Sure, Henry _feels_ fine right now but that didn’t mean there wasn't any damage to his throat thanks to the choke-hold that landed him in this mess. Since they seemed to be offering medical attention, he should at least get himself some treatment before heading home. The mission may have turned out more stealthy than expected but it was still pretty rough. Almost like his usual heists.

“I think you should take the job.” Charles whispered to him from his side, grinning from ear to ear as if he was happy for Henry getting the job offering. He most likely was. “You’ll get a decent paycheck and we might even get to see each other again!” Henry couldn’t stop himself from smiling at Charles, leaning back against his chair. The pilot smiles back before focusing on his flying.

Henry was glad that this mission was over and done with, but the thought of seeing Charles again…

It wouldn’t hurt, really. Charles was nice and supportive and actually listens to him instead of arguing over every little thing. He was relaxing to converse with and seemed to be pretty genuine with him.

But why?

Why is he so nice to him? What benefit does he get out of this? Out of just...treating him well?

Henry frowned. There wasn’t any reason for him to get so hung up on it. So Charles was nice. That’s it. Just because he defended the notion of being pardoned and getting a job (from the _Government_ no less), it didn’t mean anything. It didn’t mean that he liked him or cared about his well being. It didn’t mean anything-

_Sorry. I...I got into an argument._

_But like I said before…We should give him a chance to_ change. _This is a good starting point!_

Fuck, he had to know.

Henry sits up straight, grabbing a hold of Charles’ shoulder and starts to shake him. Charles makes a couple of noises in surprise before grabbing a hold of Henry’s hand and stops him from shaking him even more. Apparently, Charles was a lot stronger than he looked.

“Wh-What? What is it, Henry?” Charles brings his gaze back over to Henry, confusion and slight concern washing over his face. “Is something wrong?” He opened his mouth to speak but he felt as though a weight had been placed over his throat. So he pulls his hand away and starts signing.

‘Did you...Did you defend me?’ He asked, Charles tilting his head at him. He elaborates, signing slowly and carefully. Even though Charles could interpret what he was saying with ease, he didn’t want to be misunderstood at this moment. ‘When I went silent during the mission, you mentioned that you were arguing about something. Was it about me?’

He had to know.

He had to know what happened back there or else this will bother him for who knows how long.

“Uh, yeah. I did.” Charles seemed to be surprised that he had found out but didn’t seem to have questioned him on how. “Rupert got, uh, really anxious at the thought of you betraying us. So I told him that we had to give you a chance to prove yourself and it...kinda escalated from there? Cause, you know, Rupert didn’t seem happy when he saw you. But I don’t think he’s bad or-”

  
“Why?” Henry forces the word out of his mouth, gulping down the bile that was rising in his throat. “Just...why…?” He couldn’t say anything else, clutching the fabric of his pants tightly.

  
Why would he defend him? When he barely even knew him? When he is - _was_ \- a criminal that plowed through anyone or anything that stood in his way, damn the consequences?

Why would Charles go out of his way for him? Why would he welcome him from the start?

Henry flinches when he felt something warm - Charles’ _hand_ \- wrap around his own. He looked up to stare at the pilot, who had to awkwardly lean over his chair a little to reach him. (He didn’t seem too worried about controlling the chopper with one hand.) His crimson eyes had a gentle shine to them and he was giving him a small smile.

“Cause...I believe in you. That’s it, really.” Charles then laughed, awkward but chill as he pulled his gaze away from Henry’s black eyes. “You had a record, sure, but I...I just wanted to believe you would do the right thing.” And then Charles glanced at him again, his smile looking like the rays of the sun. “And you did! You pulled it off and now you’re here...I’m happy for you, really!”

Henry searched his face for something. Something suspicious. Something that would give away that Charles’ was lying or just trying to be nice to keep his spirits up. Anything that would signal Henry to turn away and run back home, back to his old life of stealing.

He saw nothing of the sort. Just Charles’ genuine kindness and joy for him. _For Henry._

And Henry was...well, he was _floored._

Charles wasn’t like Rupert, who didn’t trust him from the start or was there to witness his crimes unfold. And honestly, Henry couldn’t blame him. At the time, he was willing to do anything to get out of prison or to steal the Tunisian Diamond, no matter what he had to do that would get his hands dirty. There was a reason why Henry had an extensive criminal record in the first place that went way before he even got arrested for breaking into the bank.

And despite the Captain’s change in demeanor towards him, the Government official felt it was necessary to straight up kidnap him and then hang evidence of his crimes over his head. It was only _after_ taking him away by force and blackmailing Henry did the Captain feel comfortable enough to trust him with the mission. Only _after_ the mission was said and done and he had proven himself trustworthy in his eyes, did the Captain have a change of tune and went as far as to give him a job on the spot. Overall, the Captain didn’t trust him from the start, needing insurance just to make sure Henry had no choice but to obey him. 

But Charles? Charles believed in _him._ Right from the start, even though there was absolutely no reason to. Henry didn’t give him one and neither did his record but the pilot wanted to put his faith in him anyways. Charles enjoyed helping him. Charles had his back. Charles…

  
Charles _cared about him._ What he saw in him was _Henry Stickmin,_ not a criminal that kept failing society or a pawn that had to follow orders. Just...Henry.

And Henry realized he didn’t want to disappoint Charles, the man who believed in him despite all the reasons _not_ to.

Henry squeezed Charles’ hand, quietly thanking him in his head before pulling his hand away. Charles gave him one more smile, as if receiving his message despite the lack of words between them. He leans back into his chair and goes back to focus on his flying. Henry leaned back against his own chair as well, a comfortable silence stretching between them. It wasn’t until he poked the pilot’s shoulder and he had turned his head to give him his attention that the silence was broken.

‘So why did you learn sign language?’ Henry asked. Charles’ eyes glimmered like beautiful rubies caught in the sunlight as he started to talk about his family. And Henry listened to him, smiling all the while as Charles started to gush about his twin sibling.

  
...Maybe he _should_ take up that job offer. If only to have more opportunities to see Charles.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have made it to the end of this fic, congrats! I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be honest, I've been writing since middle school but this is the first time I've ever posted a fic. So if I did something wrong, I'd appreciate it if you could notify me!
> 
> Sending love to that one comment on Coelpts’s fanfic, [The Offer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25918015), on ArchiveOfOurOwn! Seriously, if Fidgetelftree didn’t write their analysis in that comment, I would have not been hit with inspiration for this fic! I just had to take my own spin on it from Henry’s POV and why/how Charles manages to reach out to him in the Government Supported Private Investigator ending.
> 
> Anyways, have a nice day! If you have any comments or criticisms about my writing or about the fic, please don't hesitate to comment down below.
> 
> Edit: I made art for this fic: a textless version and one with text. You can see it on my [Tumblr](https://ninjagirlstar5.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Sandra94245461/status/1308030459373400066).


End file.
